Syllabus

Master of Science in Education

EDU 760 Adult Learning Theory – Spring A 2021

Credits - 3

Description

Participants in this course will examine the major assumptions and tenets of adult learning theory including andragogy and self-directed learning, constructivism, experiential and situated learning, and transformative learning theory. The goal of this course is to familiarize participants with current research and its practical applications for use in settings such as workshops, classrooms, and within the area of training and development. Students will develop strategies to address issues faced by educators of adults, helping them be more effective and responsive to the needs of the learners they serve.

Materials

Required:

Merriam, S. and Bierema, L. (2013) Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. (ISBN: 978-1118130575, E-text: 978-111841910)

Additional resources are provided within the course.

Supplemental:

7th edition: American Psychological Association. (2019). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). ISBN: 978-1433832154. E-text: 978-1433832185

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Students will:

Examine major learning theories in adult education
Effectively communicate as active members of an adult learning community in order to deepen understanding of teaching adults
Develop strategies to address issues faced by adult education educators

Assignments

Facilitation: Students/small groups will be responsible for facilitating, in depth, on one adult learning theory.

When facilitating students must:

Give a summary of their understanding of the theory In the form of Google Slides
Produce one reference that is not from the already assigned readings
Demonstrate a related example of the theory in practice from their working environment or relay how they would incorporate the theory into their practice
Create a discussion question
Moderate the discussion board for the chosen learning module

Feedback on Facilitation: Students not in the facilitation group will be responsible for providing feedback to the facilitation group.

Discussion Boards: Students will respond to prompts related to course materials and engage with colleagues in the course to support understanding and the co-construction of knowledge.

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Assignments	Points
8 Discussion Boards (7 weeks, 3 points each)	21 points
Feedback (4 weeks, 10 points each)	40 points
Learning Theory Discussion Facilitation	39 points
Total	100 points

Grade Scale

Grade	Points Grade	Point Average (GPA)
A	94 – 100%	4.00
A-	90 – 93%	3.75
B+	87 – 89%	3.50
B	84 – 86%	3.00
B-	80 – 83%	2.75
C+	77 – 79%	2.50
C	74 – 76%	2.00
C-	70 – 73%	1.75
D	64 – 69%	1.00
F	00 – 63%	0.00

Schedule

Week	Topic	Readings	Assignments Due
Week 1: Jan 6 – Jan 10	Andragogy	Merriam: Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice, Chapters 1-3 Review the video “EDU 760: Instructions for Assignments”	Week 1: Whole Class Discussion Forum. Submit your initial response no later than 11:59 PM on Friday. Responses to peers no later than 11:59 PM Sunday.
Week 2: Jan 11 – Jan 17	Androgogy vs. Pedagogy	Jarvis: Adult Education and Lifelong Learning, Chapter 5 Leamnson: Excerpts from Learning as Biological Brain Change Columbia University: “How to Provide Constructive Feedback That Won’t Exasperate Your Students”	Week 2: Whole Class Discussion Forum. Submit your initial post to the discussion board no later than 11:59 PM on Wednesday. Responses to peers no later than 11:59 PM Sunday.First Group: Transformational Learning Theory. Post summary and supported reading to forum by Sunday, 11:59 PM ET
Week 3: Jan 18 – Jan 24	Transformational Learning	Merriam: Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice, Chapter 5 Baumgartner, L. M. (2001). An Update on Transformational Learning. New Directions For Adult & Continuing Education, 2001(89), 15. Fleischer, B. J. (2006). Mezirow’s Theory of Transformative Learning and Lonergan’s Method in Theology: Resources for Adult Theological Education. Journal Of Adult Theological Education, 3(2), 147-162. doi:10.1558/jate.2006.3.2.147	Whole Class Discussion – Transformational Learning Theory. Submit your initial post to the discussion board no later than 11:59 PM on Wednesday. Responses to peers no later than 11:59 PM Sunday.Feedback Form due Sunday. Transformational Learning Theory Summary Submission due Friday. Second Group: Experiential Learning Theory: Post summary and supported reading to forum by Sunday, 11:59 PM ET
Week 4: Jan 25 – Jan 31	Experiential Learning	Merriam: Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice, Chapter 6 Kolb: The Learning Way: Meta-cognitive Aspects of Experiential Learning (PDF)	Whole Class Discussion – Experiential Learning Theory. Submit your initial post to the discussion board no later than 11:59 PM on Wednesday. Responses to peers no later than 11:59 PM Sunday.Feedback Form due Sunday. Experiential Learning Theory Summary Submission due Friday. Third Group: Constructivist Learning Theory: Post summary and supported reading to forum by Sunday, 11:59 PM ET.
Week 5: Feb 1 – Feb 7	Constructivism	Merriam: Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice Chapter 9 Richardson: Read Pages 3-19 of Constructivist Teacher Education: Building a World of New Understandings. Video: Constructivist Learning Theory	Whole Class Discussion – Constructivist Learning Theory. Submit your initial post to the discussion board no later than 11:59 PM on Wednesday. Responses to peers no later than 11:59 PM Sunday. Feedback Form due Sunday. Constructivist Learning Theory Summary Submission due Friday. Fourth Group: Situative Learning Theory. Post summary and supported reading to forum by Sunday, 11:59 PM ET.
Week 6: Feb 8 – Feb 14	Situative Learning	Merriam: Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice, Chapter 12 Perera: Constructivism, Social Constructivism and Situated Cognition: A Sliding Scale? Video: An Introduction to Lave and Wenger’s Situated Learning – A Macat Business Analysis	Whole Class Discussion – Situative Learning Theory. Submit your initial post to the discussion board no later than 11:59 PM on Wednesday. Responses to peers no later than 11:59 PM Sunday. Feedback Form due Sunday. Situative Learning Theory Summary Submission due Friday. Fifth Group: Self-Directed Learning Theory: Post summary and supported reading to forum by Sunday, 11:59 PM ET.
Week 7: Feb 15 – Feb 21	Self-Directed Learning	Merriam: Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice, Chapter 4 International Education Studies-Adult Participation in Self-Directed Learning Process (PDF)	Whole Class Discussion – Self-Directed Learning Theory. Submit your initial post to the discussion board no later than 11:59 PM on Wednesday. Responses to peers no later than 11:59 PM Sunday. Feedback Form: Due Sunday. Situative Learning Theory Summary Submission due Friday.
Week 8: Feb 22 – Feb 28	Learning Through Technology	Merriam: Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice, Chapter 10	Whole Class Discussion: Technology and Adult Learners Submit your initial post to the discussion board no later than 11:59 PM on Wednesday. Responses to peers no later than 11:59 PM Sunday.

Student Resources

Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.

Questions? Visit the Student Support Education page

UNE Libraries:

Library Access for all students: Your library login ID and password are the same as the ones you use to log into Blackboard/Brightspace.
Education Databases: https://library.une.edu/library-materials/find/research-by-subject/education/
Library Questions: Ask a librarian or phone library staff at (207) 602-2361 or (207) 221-4330.

UNE Student Academic Success Center

The Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of services to support your academic achievement, including tutoring, writing support, test prep and studying strategies, learning style consultations, and many online resources. To make an appointment for tutoring, writing support, or a learning specialist consultation, go to une.tutortrac.com. To access our online resources, including links, guides, and video tutorials, please visit:

UNE Student Academic Success Center

Information Technology Services (ITS)

ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673

Accommodations

Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.

Online Peer Support

Togetherall is a 24/7 communication and emotional support platform monitored by trained clinicians. It’s a safe place online to get things off your chest, have conversations, express yourself creatively, and learn how to manage your mental health. If sharing isn’t your thing, Togetherall has other tools and courses to help you look after yourself with plenty of resources to explore. Whether you’re struggling to cope, feeling low, or just need a place to talk, Togetherall can help you explore your feelings in a safe supportive environment. You can join Togetherall using your UNE email address.

Information Technology Services (ITS)

Students should notify their Student Support Specialist and instructor in the event of a problem relating to a course. This notification should occur promptly and proactively to support timely resolution.

ITS Contact: Toll-Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673.

Career Ready Program

The College of Professional Studies supports its online students and alumni in their career journey!

The Career Ready Program provides tools and resources to help students explore and hone in on their career goals, search for jobs, create and improve professional documents, build professional network, learn interview skills, grow as a professional, and more. Come back often, at any time, as you move through your journey from career readiness as a student to career growth, satisfaction, and success as alumni.

Policies

AI Use

The Graduate Programs in Education holds the position that Grammarly and other AI writing and generative technology should not be used when completing course assignments, unless explicitly permitted by course faculty and assignment instructions. These tools do not support a student’s personal and direct capacity to develop and hone skills in creativity, logic, critical thinking, analysis, evaluation, theorization, and writing, which are central to graduate-level rigor, assessment, and research. Use of these tools when not explicitly permitted may result in an academic integrity infraction.

Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool

The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.

Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.

You can learn more about Turnitin in the guide on how to navigate your Similarity Report.

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements

Course Evaluation Policy

Course surveys are one of the most important tools the University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.

Late Policy

Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.

Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.

Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.

Attendance Policy

8 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Sunday at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.

16 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Friday at 11:59 pm ET of the second week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.

UNE Online Student Handbook

UNE Course Withdrawal

Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.